I am sure many of my readers in Malaysia and Singapore have been wondering why haven’t I posted a beef rendang or “rendang daging” recipe? Good news, the wait is finally over and here is my recipe of arguably the most famous beef dish in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Beef rendang is of Indonesian origin–a much-celebrated recipe from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia–and often served at ceremonial occasions and to honored guests. After spending hours making my beef rendang, I totally understand why. Beef rendang is not your everyday beef dish that one can whip up in a jiffy, the time–not to mention patience and dedication–alone is probably a main obstacle for most people. If you must know, it took me almost 3 hours to concoct a pot of this aromatic and extraordinarily scrumptious beef rendang. For those of you who have never tried beef rendang, I can only describe it as “a rich and tender coconut beef stew which is explosively flavorful,” one that is certain to win you over if you taste it.
I believe beef rendang was introduced to Malaysia when the Minangkabau settlers from Sumatra migrated to the southern part of the Malay peninsula during the era of the Melaka Sultanate, but I could be wrong. In any case, beef rendang is a very popular dish for many Malaysians, especially the Malay community.
No beef rendang is made exactly the same. If you are willing to spend time in the kitchen preparing the spice paste, toasting the grated coconut to make golden-hued “kerisik” (toasted coconut in Malay language), and then patiently cook and stew the meat over very low heat so as to dry up the liquid and make the meat tender, you will be rewarded handsomely. Like I did with my beef rendang.
Another fact about beef rendang that I absolutely have to share with you: it only gets better with time, so much so that the Minangkabaus save them for months as the complex taste and flavor develop over time. For everyday home cooks, I will advise you to serve them once the beef rendang is done, but save some leftover as it only gets better overnight.
For those of you who wish to learn more about beef rendang, check out this article on Wikipedia, or you can just feast your eyes with my beef rendang photos above, and try my beef rendang recipe.
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Based on 152 Review(s)
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Francis (UK)
I learned to cook this Rendang recipe from a lady who spent most of her life in KL before moving to the UK with her husband. Your recipe is identical! The only difference with her recipe is the addition of one tablespoon of fragrant ground almonds, and the use of red onions when shallots are not available! I leave mine in a slow cooker until it’s almost dry. The beef is so tender and full of flavour. I like to serve it with fine vermicelli noodles and rice. It is my favourite recipe for beef! I am inspired to alter the quantity of ingredients after having viewed your website.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Francis, sure, please try my beef rendang recipe.
Dick
GOOD.
Shoefly
Great recipe, made this for the family and it was a hit. Not hard to make, a bit time consuming but well worth it. This will be a go to recipe. Thanks for sharing,
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks for trying my beef rendang!